The Network is Now a Service: Helient and Extreme Redefine IT Infrastructure

HADDONFIELD, NJ – June 09, 2026

The subscription economy has conquered everything from entertainment to software. Now, it's coming for the foundational plumbing of your entire business: the network. In a move that signals a profound shift in commercial strategy, IT services provider Helient Technologies has partnered with networking leader Extreme Networks to offer a fully managed Network as a Service (NaaS). This isn't just another IT product; it's a strategic pivot away from the burdens of hardware ownership and toward a more agile, predictable, and intelligent future for corporate infrastructure.

The Inevitable Shift to 'As-a-Service'

For decades, building and maintaining a corporate network has been a Sisyphean task for IT departments. It involved massive upfront capital expenditures (CapEx) for switches, routers, and access points, followed by a relentless cycle of maintenance, troubleshooting, and costly hardware refreshes every few years. This model ties up capital and, more importantly, consumes the valuable time of skilled IT professionals who could be driving strategic business initiatives.

The new partnership between Helient and Extreme Networks aims to dismantle this outdated paradigm. By leveraging Extreme Platform ONE™, Helient is introducing a subscription-based model that treats the network like a utility. For a predictable monthly fee, clients get everything: the hardware, the software, multi-vendor bandwidth management, deployment, proactive monitoring, and ongoing support, including hardware repair or replacement.

"Reliable networking is no longer just an IT requirement, it's a business requirement," noted Helient's Chairman & CEO, Brad Bono, in the announcement. His statement cuts to the core of the issue. In a world defined by hybrid work, cloud applications, and constant connectivity, a fragile or underperforming network is a direct threat to revenue and productivity. This NaaS model effectively outsources the complexity. "This approach allows customers to stay focused on their core business competencies while Helient manages the day-to-day complexities of network operations," added Dan Dulac, Vice President of GTM Strategic Programs at Extreme Networks.

This isn't happening in a vacuum. The NaaS market is exploding, with analysts projecting a compound annual growth rate exceeding 30% over the next several years. Businesses are tired of the capital burden and operational drag. As one industry analyst put it, "Companies are realizing they're not in the business of managing network hardware. They're in the business of law, or healthcare, or manufacturing. NaaS lets them focus on what they do best."

Under the Hood: AI Takes the Helm

What makes this new wave of NaaS offerings truly transformative is the integration of artificial intelligence. The service announced by Helient is powered by Extreme Platform ONE, which the company bills as an "all-in-one AI networking platform." This isn't just marketing fluff; it represents a fundamental change in how networks are managed.

Instead of IT teams reactively responding to user complaints and outage alerts, the AI acts as a proactive, 24/7 network engineer. The platform continuously ingests vast amounts of telemetry data from across the network—from the wireless access points to the core switches. Its machine learning algorithms analyze this data to identify patterns, predict potential issues before they impact users, and even automate troubleshooting. For example, the AI can detect a degrading Wi-Fi experience in a specific conference room, identify the root cause—be it channel interference or a misconfigured access point—and recommend a solution, all without human intervention.

This AI-driven automation is what enables the promise of "predictable, reliable performance." It moves network management from a reactive, manual-intensive process to a proactive, automated one. For Helient's target clients in security-conscious industries like legal and healthcare, this is paramount. The AI can also bolster security by detecting anomalous traffic patterns that might indicate a breach, enabling faster threat containment. By combining Extreme's AI-powered automation with Helient's managed services expertise, organizations can "significantly reduce the cost and complexity of operating modern networks while improving agility and resilience," according to Dulac.

A Strategic Synergy for High-Stakes Industries

This partnership is a textbook example of strategic synergy. Extreme Networks provides the cutting-edge, scalable technology platform. Helient, with over 15 years of experience, brings the deep vertical expertise and the trusted client relationships, particularly within the Am Law 100 and 200 law firms and healthcare providers.

These industries are not early adopters by nature; they are risk-averse and bound by stringent security and compliance mandates like HIPAA. For them, the network is a non-negotiable lifeline. A law firm cannot afford downtime during a critical e-discovery process. A hospital cannot risk its network failing when doctors need access to electronic health records or when IoT medical devices are transmitting vital patient data.

Helient's established reputation as a Microsoft Solutions Partner managing M365 and Azure environments for these same clients makes their new NaaS offering a logical and compelling extension. A firm already trusting Helient with its cloud and desktop environment is more likely to entrust them with the network that connects it all. This new service allows Helient to offer a more holistic, end-to-end managed IT solution, moving clients further toward a complete operational expenditure (OpEx) model for their entire technology stack.

The value proposition is clear: these high-stakes organizations gain access to a state-of-the-art, AI-enhanced network without the risk and complexity of building and managing it themselves. They get the resilience and security they demand, coupled with the financial predictability of a subscription, all delivered by a partner that already understands their unique regulatory and operational landscape.

The Bottom Line: From Capital Burden to Strategic Asset

Ultimately, the shift to Network as a Service is about reframing the corporate network. For too long, it has been viewed as a cost center and an operational headache. The Helient and Extreme Networks collaboration exemplifies the movement to transform it into a flexible, intelligent, and strategic asset that enables business agility rather than hindering it.

By converting a massive capital outlay into a predictable operating expense, companies free up significant financial resources that can be invested in innovation, talent, and growth. More critically, they liberate their internal IT teams from the thankless, round-the-clock job of network maintenance. This allows those teams to evolve from infrastructure janitors to strategic partners, focusing on leveraging technology to create competitive advantages.

While competitors like Cisco and HPE Aruba offer their own versions of NaaS, the combination of Extreme's singular AI-driven platform and Helient's focused managed services expertise creates a potent offering for their target market. This partnership isn't just about selling new services; it's about enabling a new operational philosophy where businesses can finally consume complex networking with the same simplicity as any other cloud service, ensuring they are prepared for the demands of the modern hybrid and hyper-connected world.